


Youth

by kisekihara



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Bittersweet, M/M, Post-Kings Rising
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-28 22:47:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13913766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisekihara/pseuds/kisekihara
Summary: Damen realizes how much Laurent had lost: not only his brother, but also much of his childhood.





	Youth

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for this fandom (and a non-Japanese fandom related in general) so I feel I couldn't write them that well- but I love Captive Prince so I decided to write this fic since I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Please do excuse the OOCness.

Light penetrated the curtains and into Damen's eyes. He opened his eyes and lazily woke up.

The first thing he saw was Laurent's beautiful sleeping face right in front of him. Despite the blonde hair that was a slight mess, Damen found Laurent's face to be in peace, his breathing was at a natural pace. It was a regular day. He could relax.

Damen briefly thought of his plans for the day. There were no meetings with the Council nor any delegates planned today. No paperwork or letters to be reviewed and written. He thought of anything important he had to do today, and he found none. With that quickly gone, he decided nothing was more important than to gaze at Laurent at the moment.

He remembered Laurent had stayed up late the previous day, reading a book who's title Damen couldn't recall. He had told Laurent to go to bed with him, but Laurent had refused and insisted he had to finish the book that day. Eventually, Damen had fallen asleep before Laurent finished reading and didn't know  _when_  exactly had Laurent joined him in bed.

It didn't matter much. He was grateful, in fact. Because of it he was able to watch Laurent, still fast asleep.

Laurent rarely slept in, except for days he had been busy and tired from work. Damen usually woke after Laurent, or woke up because he felt Laurent had woken up. Either way, Laurent was the early riser, not Damen.

Damen sat up and reached out his hand to caress Laurent's cheeks, which Laurent barely responded to. Damen kept staring into Laurent's face like it was an irreplaceable jewel, his pale skin radiating an indescribable beauty.

He realized, Laurent looked much younger when asleep. Laurent looked more of a teenage than an adult.

_Perhaps this is how he should've been today_ , Damen thought.

Damen remembered Laurent's initial cold, stoicness. Throughout the course after he was sent as a slave to Vere, Damen had learned Laurent's cold demeanor was nothing but a defense system he had set up to protect himself from the turbulent world of Veretian court. He was forced into it, after Damen killing the Veretian heir princeーAugusteーand also Laurent's brother. Damen imagined what it must've felt like, being only a child and so defenseless, to lose a brother.

He felt guilty. After things started to loose up and trust being forged between them, and even after they had merged the two kingdoms together with their marriage, the guilt merely grew worse.

Laurent would tell him past stories of Auguste. He always spoke of Auguste so dearly and with such high regards, he was slightly envious. However he did enjoy those stories, because he got to learn another side of Laurent he hadn't known before.

Each time Laurent told him a story, and though he knew the past could never be changed, Damen kept thinking how better it would be if Auguste had lived. If Auguste hadn't died in his arms, Laurent would've stayed how he was before, an innocent child with a sweet personality, having nothing yet robbed away from him.  
  
Each time Laurent tells him he had forgiven Damen, he kept imagining how Laurent must've have missed his brother. It hurt him to know that Laurent was hurt. But he knew his pain was nothing compared to Laurent's feelings.

Seeing Laurent's sleeping face reminds him of all of the bitterness he had went through. Growing up faster than most, having his youth taken away from him.

"Damen...?" Laurent stared at Damen, seeming confused.

Damen didn't realize when Laurent had open his eyes, but he did realize he still had his hand on Laurent's cheek. He did not withdrew them, however. "Good morning, Laurent."

Laurent sat up. "What time is it? Have you stared at me the whole time?"

Damen couldn't help but let out a cheeky laugh. "Don't worry, it is still early. And yes, my love, you were so mesmerizing I lost my intention to look anywhere else."

Damen saw Laurent's fine skin flush up a bit. Laurent didn't respond to him. He leaned in and kissed Laurent's forehead, muttering, "I love you."

Laurent looked even more confused, but did not question it. He simply replied, "I love you too, Damen."

That was when Damen swore not to let Laurent suffer anymore. Or at the very least, he wouldn't let Laurent suffer alone anymore.

 


End file.
